This week I’m finishing out the series we’ve going through on ‘Biblical Communication’ looking at the importance of allowing communication to be “Toward Redemption.” If you’ve missed any of the previous posts, you can read them here.

Communication is such a key part of our humanity, and is essential to leadership. When it comes to our communication, we’ve talked about communicating with love, truth, and last week, with wisdom. And while all of these deal ‘how’ we communicate, for this final post, I’d like to look at what is our intention and ultimate goal of communication should be as a follower of Christ…redemption.

In Proverbs 18:21, the author of this proverb writes: “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

There is no denying the power of our words. And as is true with any power, it can be used for good or bad. As followers of Christ, we understand that God has given us a voice to use to build up, not tear down. This doesn’t there aren’t times we don’t correct or point out errors. But what it does mean is that we are working toward the same thing the whole scope of scripture is…redemption.

It’s a shame the destruction and pain that is caused so often within the church because of someone’s communication. From gossip to damaging words, followers of Christ, should always be working to redeem, not condemn or destroy. This applies to those within the church, as well as our communication with those outside the family of God.

Just because someone has a different view, or lifestyle, or approach to life, doesn’t give any of us an excuse to tear down. Christ’s words were always toward redemption, and as follower of Christ, our words should be as well.

So how does our communication work toward redemption? Here are a few questions to answer:

What is the emotion behind what I’m saying? Is it anger, or genuine love and concern for this person’s future?

Are my words being used as weapons to tear down, or tools to build up?

Would God agree with what I’m about to say to this person?

Is Christ going to be honored with my tone, my words and my intentions?

Next time you have a difficult conversation with someone, just remember: Christ’s words toward us have always been toward redemption, and our words toward others should do the same.